with fifty men taking supper round each of them, and drinking their wine
to the music of flutes. But the Greeks were much discouraged, and
Agamemnon called the whole army together, and proposed that they should
launch their ships in the night and sail away home. Then Diomede stood
up, and said: "You called me a coward lately. You are the coward! Sail
away if you are afraid to remain here, but all the rest of us will fight
till we take Troy town."

Then all shouted in praise of Diomede, and Nestor advised them to send
five hundred young men, under his own son, Thrasymedes, to watch the
Trojans, and guard the new wall and the ditch, in case the Trojans
attacked them in the darkness. Next Nestor counselled Agamemnon to send
Ulysses and Aias to Achilles, and promise to give back Briseis, and rich
presents of gold, and beg pardon for his insolence. If Achilles would be
friends again with Agamemnon, and fight as he used to fight, the Trojans
would soon be driven back into the town.

Agamemnon was very ready to beg pardon, for he feared that the whole army
would be defeated, and cut off from their ships, and killed or kept as
slaves. So Ulysses and Aias and the old tutor of Achilles, Phoenix, went
to Achilles and argued with him, praying him to accept the rich presents,
and help the Greeks. But Achilles answered that he did not believe a
word that Agamemnon said; Agamemnon had always hated him, and always
would hate him. No; he would not cease to be angry, he would sail away
next day with all his men, and he advised the rest to come with him. "Why
be so fierce?" said tall Aias, who seldom spoke. "Why make so much
trouble about one girl? We offer you seven girls, and plenty of other
gifts."

Then Achilles said that he would not sail away next day, but he would not